{A/N- Sorry guys, I caught fever and cold and this delayed the updates. Thanks for being patient.}

"My dear, it is time to stay robust and be there for your new family."

Gauri sighed tiredly and nodded.

Feeling agitated and lonesome, she wanted to divulge in someone, and who was better than her grandmother at consoling? With everything that has been happening since her arrival, she didn't get a chance to reach her family. But all this time she didn't talk to them, stressing they might sense the edge in her voice- the buried hysteria, and immediately want her to return. She can't leave now, not after knowing the verity about her husband and receiving a message from the otherworldly creatures. Moreover, her clueless mother-in-law would be alone once again.

There was so much she didn't know and was sure would discover in the upcoming days.

"I know, grandma. I just wanted to hear your voice. Once again, I apologize for calling so late. You must be deep in sleep."

"Oh sweetheart, you can talk to me anytime you want. There's no problem. The High King will recover soon. I suggest you start chanting the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, which has the power to help an ailing person. Lit five lamps in the early morning- the Brahma muhurta, in the temple and chant it 108 times. Then offer cow milk, Ganga Jal, Bel Patra, sandalwood, rice, white flowers, and fruits to the Mahalingam. Since you are married now, tie Mahadeva and his better half Goddess Parvati together using a Raksha Sutra or Kalawa. This makes Goddess Parvati happy and she blesses the happy couple.

Oh! From couple I remembered, tomorrow is Karwa Chauth. It would be your first Chauth after marriage. Your mother-in-law must have forgotten to mention it with everything transpiring in that palace. Don't eat anything tomorrow and break the fast with a moonrise in the evening in the presence of your husband. Wear red garments and complete shringaar of a newlywed. I don't have to tell you about the ritual. You've seen your mother doing it plenty of times. Okay?"

The last part made Gauri chuckle bitterly. Will her husband even participate when he is still hungover on his previous relationship? He has cleared numerous times how he would never love but try to accept her as his wife. Earlier, the idea of celebrating these festivals used to make her excited but today she was dreading the thought of spending more time with him. He has explained how she was important to the beast, but not once he said that he wanted her to stay. He has been insisting that he would let her go if she wanted to leave. She is nothing but a convenience to keep a monster under check.

"Okay, grandma. I will. How are Ma and Baba?"

"They are fine. Your mother is dying to talk to you. Here.."

As soon as the phone came into her mother's hand, Gauri burst into tears and started crying. She has missed them the most. Rukmani started crying too, her heart going out to her only child. After talking for a long time and filling each other with whatever they'd missed, Gauri realized it was past 11 at the night. She immediately bids them farewell and rushes to see her mother-in-law.

Vasundhara was passed out like dead in her bed chambers after a tiresome journey of a week. But the worry lines were still prominent between her brows. Gauri instantly felt pity for the woman and called a maidservant to bring a hot meal right away. Since they were too worried to eat dinner, they went to bed with an empty stomach, but Gauri was stubborn. With Raghuveer being stable and kept under observation, her mother-in-law would need proper nutrition to face tomorrow.

Nudging her awake, Gauri made her comfortable on the bed and brought the trolley filled with meals closer. Vasundhara's eyes moistened because nobody cared to ask her if she went hungry to bed before. Then it hit her. This is a luxury only parents with a daughter can afford. A smile lights up her face despite the troubles knocking at her door. As Gauri fed her with her own hands while filling her with all that's happened in her absence, Vasundhara's dilemmas were silenced in the depths of her unconscious. But she tensed at the mention of Karwa Chauth. The poor woman completely forgot about it.

"Oh no! We aren't ready. There's so much to do!" She bellowed before biting her lips.

"Relax, mother. We don't have to go all extravagant. It could be celebrated in private..."

"No. It is your first Karwa Chauth, Gauri. I have to invite the elders of other royal families, have planners decorate the fort, get you grand attire and prepare the platters. What about the menu? We have to decide on the dishes! Oh, Vasundhara! How can you forget?" Vasundhara admonished herself while slapping her forehead in distress. Gauri smiled.

"How about we do none of that and keep it small and private considering the situation? People will understand knowing that father is in hospital. We can celebrate it the next year. For now, I want to share this festival with you and the King. As for attire, I can wear my wedding dress in the evening at the time of praying to the moon."

Vasundhara shook her head.

"I swear, I'd so many plans for this day."

"Mother, nothing matters more than us. Let's break the fast with traditional cuisine. God, it has been a long time since I had that."

Vasundhara immediately nodded and cupped Gauri's cheek.

"I am so lucky to have such an understanding daughter. While I was away, Yagya didn't trouble you, did he?" Gauri shook her head negatively and sensing Vasundhara was full, covers her with the blanket and turns off the lights leaving only the bedside lamp on.

"Good night, mother."

"Hmm... darling. Sweet dreams."

Gauri tossed and turned all night in bed, terribly missing the fragrance of the moist soil of her home and the chirping of early birds. The fort was silent as if it was mourning someone. At 4 in the morning, she took a bath, quickly wore a silk saree, and prepared a platter with holy offerings as suggested by her grandmother. When she stepped into the temple premises, the priest was shocked at her arrival. Nobody has come so early before. He bowed respectfully and lets her continue the prayers.

Once the chants were complete, she conducts the abhisheka with the priest intonating holy hymns in the background. Joining her hands, she wishes for God's blessing and later gives all the fruits to the priest so he could distribute them among other devotees.

But an alarming moment stole the peace and tranquility she was feeling inside as she was descending the stairs of the temple at 6 in the morning. Most of the people were still asleep. Only a few gardeners and cleaners were lost in doing their job.

From her peripheral vision, she caught him hurrying towards the Rajwada palace. Her throat dried watching her half-naked husband, making his way towards the back, hiding from any prying eyes. Gauri's hands started to shake and she almost dropped the silver platter before composing herself. Turning to face the deity's image in the garbhagriha, she touches the threshold of the temple with her fingers before bringing them to her forehead and sprinted towards the Rajwada Palace.

So, he was out all night, and here she assumed he must be still waiting in the infirmary.

The chime of her heavy anklets alerted everyone nearby of her ethereal presence and for a minute, they watched her lithe form running across the courtyard with her long hair flying in the air, spellbound. Joy spreads in their hearts for the music of her silver anklets fills the fort with the liveliness it lacked for so long.

Crossing the haunting Chandra Mahal, she breaks into the brooding and silent Rajwada Palace, and climbing two stairs at a time, Gauri passed the maids in the corridor before breaking into the forbidden chambers of the King. The sound of shower hits her eardrums and her nostrils flared. Putting the platter on the table, she sits on the large mahogany bed and patiently waits for him. Her breaths were labored due to running and feeling lightheaded she fell back on the mattress.

Unknowingly, her eyes fell on the large portrait occupying the wall in front of the bed and she frowned in confusion.

What in God's name happened?

The six feet tall portrait of Yagya's first wife was covered with a sheet. With a beating heart and curious mind, Gauri slowly cuts the distance between them and shakily reaches for the white cotton piece draped on the heavy frame. Gulping the saliva to wet her dried throat, she checks the bathroom door, before hesitantly clutching the sheet and pulling it away in a swift motion.

A tortured gasp clogged her air pipes, and she choked on a dried cough. Her palm covers her mouth, refraining from releasing another sound for the beast had sharp ears.

The large portrait, which once personified the exotic features of a proud Queen, was now ripped into hundreds of shreds leaving claw marks behind. Ducking down, she quickly grabs the garment and covers the disaster properly, dreading if the wild king figured she has dared to pry into his private matters.

The sound of the shower stopped, and she took deep breaths to calm her crazy heart. She retreats to her earlier position on the bed and patiently waits for him to come out. The moment the bathroom door opens, she turns to confront him but gawks speechlessly when a regal and handsome male specimen exits the steamy bathroom only wearing a towel.

Yagya froze near the door, taken aback by her sudden appearance. He didn't hear her coming in. Blame the absent mind for swimming into the deep trenches of troubled thoughts. He has been on edge after last night, still fighting if it was reality or a sick illusion. He wished for the latter because the possibility of it being factual makes him nauseous. The scary creature looked dangerous and holds the power to harm his family.

"What are you doing here?" He blurted hoarsely. His vocal cords were sore as if he has been screaming raw all night.

A blush crept on Gauri's cheeks and traveled down her neck. She clears her throat and quickly turns away, giving him privacy.

"I saw you entering the fort in bad condition. What happened?"

He sighed strenuously and his shoulders sagged with the poundage of truth. Yagya wasn't sure if he must share the haunting event but to ease her worries, should supply her with some transparency.

"I... I changed."

He muttered with his eyes on the ground, refusing to see the judgment swimming in her eyes. Sadness clogs Gauri's pores and she carefully approaches him before wrapping her arms around his waist. Her head rested on his chest, and he instantly went rigid. She swore he stopped breathing. Exhaling deeply, she caresses his back, leaving a trail of goosebumps following her awakening touch.

"It is alright. I am glad that you are fine."

Yagya closes his eyes before dropping a light kiss on her hair and returning her embrace. His kernel flooded with warmth on being soothed for the first time. Years of agony were spent with a promise of more pain. He made himself like an unyielding mountain for he had to shield everyone from the demons that rendezvous his every waking hour. The trauma of losing loved ones and taking lives settled quite early in life. It made him inert and numb. His emotions were curled into pits of his guilty conscience where slowly the darkness swallowed the remaining light in him. He felt elated once, a long time ago, when a woman confessed her feelings for him, but that soon turned into an immense burden, for she didn't know he was a monster. He had to lie every time, adding nail after nail over the coffin of their weak ties. He trusted her, and she trusted him, but he didn't trust himself around her. The foundation of their relationship slowly sank until he was the only one holding things together.

And when those ties broke, he fell. He fucking fell into the depths of hatred, violence, blood, and gore. He got addicted to the metallic crimson and salivated at the sight of it. He drowned himself in alcohol and solitude and barred the gates of his castle for everyone, even his suffering mother.

But when this butterfly came into his life, he feared she might breathe some hope into him, and it happened. From being feared and ruthless, he slowly started to open his mind to new possibilities. She secured him in a grey corner of her mind, where both his truth and demons defined the monstrosity respiring beneath his flesh. His hands were covered in blood and sin, but when she holds them, she washes them little by little with her divinity.

A comfort, a pillar, a drape shadowing him from the ambers of hell.

A friend, a shoulder, a light guiding him through the dark tunnel. He had no idea what awaits at the end, but the glimmer felt right. It filled his cold ossein with the familiar warmth he once felt in his mother's womb. The same protective lap and purest form of love.

But then Yagya snapped into reality when the beast inside him purred, deeming the supple curves and heavy bosoms heaving against his naked flesh. Saliva pooled at the back of his mouth and his body started to heat with erupting arousal. Disgust filled him and slowly, he pushes her away.

The animal only knew lust and the way of claiming his territory. He didn't care for the sentiments of an innocent girl.